Skull Holocron
The so-called 'Skull Holocron' was discovered by Ashin Varanin and Tamzar Ranox on the snow planet Yusi. Varanin had been searching for an ancient lightsabre cache; instead, she and Ranox found a Sith laboratory in the bedrock beneath a ruined, snow-covered palace. In the crypt, guarded by skeletons and traps, was a black skull, just the top half, with a Sith holocron inside. The skull itself was hardened through Sith alchemy, and could not be easily broken open. The holocron within was triangular and well-secured: it could not be shaken or rattled around inside the skull. The gatekeeper, a Zabrak female named Melekos who spoke an archaic form of Basic, was projected through the skull's eyes. She sealed the Jedi and the 'mercenary' underground and forced Ashin to use the Dark Side to get free. The holocron remained on Ranox's ship for the duration of the Winnowing. Afterwards, it was stored temporarily in the catacomb vaults of the Temple of the Current. Its presence tainted a portion of the catacombs; later, that taint would be removed by Ember Rekali 's use of Force Light. Ashin Varanin took the Skull Holocron with her to Trevel'ka, where she worked as a humanitarian while hiding from the Cult of Shadow. In mid-17 ABY it passed into the hands of Rach Kol-Rekali, then the Patriots, then Garrett G. Granth IV. Finally Rach informed Velok of its existence, and Skavi al'Kon was sent to retrieve it from Rach. From there on, the holocron vanishes from knowledge. Two linked possibilities present themselves. The first and most likely scenario states that the holocron is now in the hands of Velok, possibly onboard the Wayward Son. Given that it was found inside a laboratory of some kind, prudent speculation would suggest that the holocron contains mysteries of Sith alchemy. This would seem to be born out by its own unique structure. If that is the case, it is possible that the alchemist Ahkris drew upon the Skull Holocron in her study of the alchemical creatures that overran the Sith Empire in 17 ABY. The second scenario is more speculative, based on a rumor that may be old or new. The rumor states that Ashin Varanin was spotted recently, carrying a black skull. It is known that Ashin Varanin deserted the Cult of Shadow in 18 ABY. Obviously if she had had access to the holocron during the period of her allegiance to the Cult, such information would have been taken from her by the Shadow Keepers. That fact notwithstanding, Ashin was known to follow the Dark Side, and would perhaps have retrieved and used the holocron in her efforts to stay alive within the Cult. Retrieving a holocron would have ensured her position within the Cult. Thus it can be inferred that she did not have access to the holocron during the time of her service to the Cult. As of mid-18 ABY, if Ashin truly has possession of the Skull Holocron, she can only have obtained it from Rach Kol-Rekali, Skavi al'Kon, or Velok himself. Kol-Rekali was known to have an interest in Ashin when they were Jedi Knights together. Perhaps he decided to keep the skull and return it to her when next he saw her, not knowing that she had been kidnapped by the Cult and pressed into service. Skavi al'Kon is an enigma; as such, relevant possibilities are not worth discussing except as relative to her function as Velok's agent and Apprentice. In 16 ABY, after a duel on Corvis Minor, Velok listed certain accomplishments to Iara Beorht, one of which was arranging the death of a Dark Jedi Master at the hand of a Jedi Apprentice: Ashin. Velok has been known to take quiet interest in certain people, without regard to their allegiance or abilities, and Ashin's Jedi career had revealed unusual toughness and adaptability - qualities Velok prizes - but it is more likely that Ashin was simply in the right place at the right time to receive Velok's secretive and unspecified aid. It is conceivable that he followed her later career and returned the holocron to her for his own purposes; certainly her stance as a moral user of the Dark Side would appeal to him. The whereabouts of the Skull Holocron are, in short, unknown, though some former members of the Paladin Order have reported seeing it on Filve, in the possession of a woman matching Ashin's description. Category:Holocrons